Wednesday, July 23, 2008

JAMES SCOTT BELL is a former trial lawyer who now writes full time. He has also been the fiction columnist for Writers Digest magazine and adjunct professor of writing at Pepperdine University.

The national bestselling author of several novels of suspense, he grew up and still lives in Los Angeles. His first Buchanan thriller, TRY DYING, was released to high critical praise, while his book on writing, Plot and Structure is one of the most popular writing books available today.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Ty Buchanan is living on the peaceful grounds of St. Monica’s, far away from the glamorous life he led as a rising trial lawyer for a big L.A. firm. Recovering from the death of his fiancée and a false accusation of murder, Buchanan has found his previous ambitions unrewarding. Now he prefers offering legal services to the poor and the underrepresented from his “office” at local coffee bar The Freudian Sip. With his new friends, the philosophizing Father Bob and basketball-playing Sister Mary Veritas, Buchanan has found a new family of sorts.One of his first clients is a mysterious woman who arrives with her six-year-old daughter. They are being illegally evicted from a downtown transient hotel, an interest that Ty soon discovers is represented by his old law firm and his former best friend, Al Bradshaw. Buchanan won’t back down. He’s going to fight for the woman’s rights.But then she ends up dead, and the case moves from the courtroom to the streets. Determined to find the killer and protect the little girl, who has no last name and no other family, Buchanan finds he must depend on skills he never needed in the employ of a civil law firm.The trail leads Buchanan through the sordid underbelly of the city and to the mansions and yachts of the rich and famous. No one is anxious to talk.But somebody wants Buchanan to shut up. For good.Now he must use every legal and physical edge he knows to keep himself and the girl alive.Once again evoking the neo-noir setting of contemporary Los Angeles, Bell delivers another thriller where darkness falls and the suspense never rests.

First, I really enjoyed reading the first book in this series, Try Dying. I loved the suspense and trying to figure out who-dunnit. Ty's sarcasm cracked me up and Bell's writing style made it entertaining to read.

In the second book, Try Darkness, the story was good but not as suspenseful as the first. Maybe because Ty didn't get into as much trouble as he did in the first book. The characters carried over well, but I didn't enjoy this one as much as Try Dying. But that's just me.

I recommend both books. The Christian theme is more subtle (even though a main character is a nun and Ty lives at a monestary), so it's not real preachy...which is nice. I look forward to reading more from Bell.

“Bell has created in Buchanan an appealing and series-worthy protagonist, and the tale equally balances action and drama, motion and emotion. Readers who pride themselves on figuring out the answers before an author reveals them are in for a surprise, too: Bell is very good at keeping secrets. Fans of thrillers with lawyers as their central characters—Lescroart and Margolin, especially—will welcome this new addition to their must-read lists.”—Booklist

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I've been wrapped up doing the mom-thing (and love it), but recently came back to one of my first loves -- books. In the past I'd stayed away from Christian fiction, thinking it'd be cheesy. But then my sis-in-law sent me home with one and when I finally read it in Dec 2007, I've been hooked since!

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